As the nation today marks the 50th anniversary of the
March on Washington, one of the most fascinating back stories is about the
Martin Luther King speech that almost wasn’t.
Many people know that King first delivered an address
with most of the “I Have A Dream” elements included at a big rally at Detroit’s
Cobo Hall two months before the massive gathering on Aug. 28, 1963, on The Mall
in Washington.
with most of the “I Have A Dream” elements included at a big rally at Detroit’s
Cobo Hall two months before the massive gathering on Aug. 28, 1963, on The Mall
in Washington.
What few people realize is that King never intended to
deliver his “I Have A Dream” speech – considered by some the greatest speech of the 20th Century – that day in
Washington.
deliver his “I Have A Dream” speech – considered by some the greatest speech of the 20th Century – that day in
Washington.
Accomplishing possibly the most successful on-stage pivot in U.S. history,
King literally set aside his text and seamlessly improvised – on live TV and in
front of 250,000 people – into the theme he expounded on June 23 in Detroit.
King literally set aside his text and seamlessly improvised – on live TV and in
front of 250,000 people – into the theme he expounded on June 23 in Detroit.
What is largely ignored by history is that the opening
minutes of the speech at the Lincoln Memorial were fairly dry and certainly did
not excite the crowd. After MLK delivered about half of the prepared text,
gospel singing star Mahalia Jackson, seated on the stage, spoke out: “Tell them
about ‘The Dream,’ Martin. Tell them about ‘The Dream.’”
minutes of the speech at the Lincoln Memorial were fairly dry and certainly did
not excite the crowd. After MLK delivered about half of the prepared text,
gospel singing star Mahalia Jackson, seated on the stage, spoke out: “Tell them
about ‘The Dream,’ Martin. Tell them about ‘The Dream.’”
Jackson had witnessed the Detroit speech and apparently
decided her friend was missing an opportunity to deliver his most powerful
message at a most important moment.
decided her friend was missing an opportunity to deliver his most powerful
message at a most important moment.
King deftly switched gears: “I still have a dream…” And
the rest, as they say, is history.
the rest, as they say, is history.
The full story about that iconic moment is documented by
Clarence Jones — a lawyer, speechwriter and confidant of King who played the
lead role in drafting the pre-planned speech — in the book he recently co-wrote: “Behind
the Dream: The Making of the Speech that Transformed a Nation.”
Clarence Jones — a lawyer, speechwriter and confidant of King who played the
lead role in drafting the pre-planned speech — in the book he recently co-wrote: “Behind
the Dream: The Making of the Speech that Transformed a Nation.”
